Budget Paris Accommodations- La Defense?

Paris Vacation Apartments (PVA) has a couple of studio apartments that you could rent for a week at a good price. They are legal apartments and a reputable company. The problem is that they book way in advance (sometimes a year) and October would not be an option this year. But if you end up not going then, it would be a good place to keep in mind for a potential future trip. The one we stayed at is by Luxembourg gardens with a great bakery down the street. My husband and I are budget travelers and this worked out well for us. We walked to Notre Dame. Nice neighborhood.

https://www.parisvacationapartments.com/

Too far would depend on what you want to do. Personally, after being out and about all day, I like to head back to my hotel before going out to dinner or a concert or whatever else is going on in the evening.

I don't mind taking bus or Metro to a restaurant, but I wouldn't want to be doing a 40 or 50 minute commute several times a day.

Have a look at booking.com to get an idea of hotels available in your budget for your dates. You can probably get a mini fridge. But a microwave is usually found only in apartments. Read the reviews, but try to book directly with the hotel's website.

If this is your first visit, look for something in the single digit arrondissements near a metro station.

Lynn, I'll definitely take a look, thank you!

Jean, I've scoured hotels.com which is my preferred site, and this is the best I've found. We aren't much into nightlife, and are used to being out and about for the majority of the day before heading back after dinner.

Just trying to see if this will work, or if anyone has done the commute like this on a trip.

PQ

hey hey theplanningqueen
october is still a busy month with conferences/conventions going on. places have been booked months in advance and see what is available now. shoestring budgets can be found but need to give up on other filters. don't only look for "cheap" places further out since you will have to pay for transportation (train. tram, subway/metro, taxi) so far from your interests in paris commuting time, not worth it. we did that one year staying further out and we were not not happy
to me that's too far out, look at booking.com, put your filters in and see what's out there. it's nice to stay close by to get back to accomodation plus roam around the area to sit at cafe & people watch, have lunch/dinner close to place without having to travel an hour to get back.
it's your vacation/holiday so you do you. look at one bedroom apt with kitchenette, buy breakfast night before which saves $$$ to cook small breakfast in morning. hope you find something and good luck
aloha

That is really far out. It's not even La Defense it's across the river from La Defense.

Personally I think it's part of the experience to feel like you're "in Paris" when you're "in Paris" and this location will not give you any of that. If you are not super picky about where you stay there have to be other options that are in Paris. Check booking.com and there are both studios, apartments and hotels. The whole renting a non-hotel room can be hit or miss but how adventurous you feel is up to you.

These are not personal recommendations but are places on Booking that look like they migh fit your budget for a week I chose in October:
Standard hotel: Hipotel Paris Gambetta République. Most standard hotel, tree lined street with shops, a little far to the metro but not bad, no elevator listed, charge for Wifi? really?
Funkier option: Caulaincourt Montmartre by Hiphophostels. Large range of rooms and prices, nice looking neighborhood, close metro is not main line, Montmartre so rare hilly area of Paris, no elevator listed in the hotel.
Minimal Hotel: Hôtel du Roussillon. Definitely minimalist hotel option, cheap, metro nearby and this is a really interesting neighborhood. Went for this first time and just up the hill is Butte-aux-Cailles neighborhood with old houses, street art and feels like a small village within Paris. On a quiet side street but blocks from large streets and intersections.

I should take the handle thekingofplanning because that's me so here's my criteria - good enough room, metro access, bus access, elevator, neighborhood appeal and I've included my thoughts. You can often get a better price going directly to the hotel which is what I do when I can.

Good luck, Paris is great,
=Tod

Thanks Tod! I'll look into some of these, I really appreciate you looking.

I've found another option in the same price range, StayCity at La Defense, walking distance to the M1 so the tram would be eliminated further other location.
We stayed in a StayCity in Dublin and loved having the kitchenette and laundry access, so this is the frontrunner now. I'll take a look at the others though.

My Mom (62) has a bad knee, so ideally the hotel would have an elevator, but she could make it work if really needed.

Thank you again. We are so hopeful that this little adventure will happen!

PQ

Looking at the location, I would try to find something better situated. I wouldn't feel I was in Paris staying there. Part of the joy of Paris is walking around your neighborhood and exploring.

I don't know your exact dates, but I see a couple places that may work for you. I have not stayed in these hotels, but the locations are much, much better than the Ibis Bezon.

Hotel des Ecrivains, not far from Place d'Italie, couple minute walk to the bus stop or 5 minute walk to the metro. In 20 minutes you could be at the Louvre or Notre Dame.

Hotel Denfert Montparnasse on rue Daguerre. A very Parisian feeling street, less than 10 minute walk to metro or 5 to buses. Bonus, only 10 minute walk to the RER B station to/from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport!!

Both of these locations have cafes and restaurants nearby.

I hope you find something in your budget that's in Paris. It will make a huge difference in your enjoyment.

Thanks for the help so far. Our dates aren't set in stone yet, but we're looking at either Oct 10-17 or Oct 17-24.

I like the look of the first hotel, but reviews are iffy and the price jumps when you go to more than a queen bed. I would also really like to have a fridge and microwave so we can have at least some breakfasts in the room.

You don't think the StayCity option is better and a good option for the price? I do totally understand the idea to be more central, it's just when I combine all the things I'm looking for with the budget, options are limited. Maybe we're pickier than I thought..

It's just the more I spend on accommodations, the less I'll have for experiences, which is where we tend to prefer to spend our travel dollars.

I'm still open, but maybe if I provide a better list of ideals that will help:
King (double) bed or two twins
Small is fine, but not severely bare bones/outdated decor
Good metro stop within 10-12 mins walk
Fridge/microwave
Shower big enough to turn around in haha (curvy lady)
Elevator
7 nights = 800-850 Euros
Staffed front desk
Safe area at night
Laundry is a nice to have

Thanks again everyone

PQ

Hi,
This "StayCity La Defense" looks like a good option for the price, but it will not have obvious step-free access to the metro - the area is a convoluted mess of passageways. No other red flags come to mind.

A recent search on a similar topic brought up "The Originals Residence Paris Sud Villejuif", which has availability on your 17-24 Oct dates (didn't check the other ones). There is NOTHING in the immediate area, but with metro line 14 on the doorstep, you would have a superfast commute to most of Paris.
And the line 14 metro station (Gustave Roussy) looks very cool.

Hi Balso,

Thank you so much for your insight. After much searching and thinking hard about some of the other comments, I've decided to try and come up with an extra $500 or so and use it towards a better situated hotel. I'm going to try to sell a few things and get creative and if I'm successful, I'm looking at the Citadines in Montparnasse instead.

This looks much better location wise and I don't want to have regrets. If I'm not able to come up with the extra cash, I'll keep the StayCity as my back-up.

Fingers crossed!

PQ

I think your making a good decision. Location really is important for Paris.

You might want to occasionally look at booking.com to see if anything else opens up in your budget. People do cancel all the time and you might find something else that will work.

Of your wants, you might find a fridge in a hotel room, but microwaves just aren't really popular in European hotels. And an onsite laundry isn't important. It's easy to find a laundromat in Paris if you need it.

I hope your successful and you and your mom have a great trip!

Just throwing out an idea. What if you stayed two nights at a city outside Paris? There are some nice ones within an hour by train which would be less expensive. There’s plenty to do, and those cities are usually more budget friendly - lodging & restaurants. Activities can be less expensive, too, with some nice museums that are free or inexpensive, etc..

Maybe begin in the second city and end with your five days in Paris.

Last summer my wife and I stayed in Versailles and used the RER every morning to train into Paris. It was a very satisfactory week. The trip from Versailles is a very quick one (~30 minutes); the Ibis Styles in La Defense appears to be a similar trip in terms of time. This may be excessive for you; it wasn't for us.

Hi folks!

Jean, yes I had the same thought initially, and on other trips we've hopped around quite a bit, but we feel for this trip we want to take it slower and have our feet planted in one place for the week (excl. daytrips etc).

Jphbucks, yes the commute from StayCity is about 45 mins to centre city, so not terrible and if it comes to it, being there is far better than staying home!

But..to give some background on why the comments about it not "feeling like" Paris kind of struck a chord:

When I was 16, my (single) mom sacrificed a lot so I could go on my high school Europe trip, and that trip changed my life. That trip started in Paris, and when I got home and told her my endless stories, she was blown away and I promised her that as a thank you, I would make sure she got to see those same cities in her lifetime. Fast forward to now, 17 years later, we've traveled a bunch in North America and had 4 European adventures together, including Florence which was one of the cities on that original trip, but have never made it to Paris or Rome together. SO, my point being, if I'm going to fulfill that promise, I'd really like it to "feel" like Paris!

I'm confident I will find a way to make that happen, I just have to be creative :).

Thanks again for all the input, this is why I love this forum!

PQ

What a great daughter you are! I agree that if you can afford it, it's better to feel like you're in Paris rather than be outside Paris. However, that raises the question of what area of Paris "feels like Paris" to you? For me, it's either the Île Saint Louis, Île de la Cité or the 5th or the 6th arrondissements. The Saint-Michel, Châtelet and Cité Metro stops make me happy.

Echoing "jbhbucks"...
My father and I also stayed in Versailles and were very happy with the location. We were very close to the RER station and it was easy to get directly to the heart of Paris for our sightseeing during the day. We actually found it helpful to get back to Versailles in the evening where things were a bit more relaxed. There were several nice restaurants within easy strolling distance for dinner. It just seemed a bit less hectic than Paris when we were tired in the evening. I have also stayed in Paris several times for various reasons, but given the choice I would prefer to stay in Versailles for the reasons described above.